New York Jets running back Shonn Greene is 1-man Gang in wild-card win
CINCINNATI - Mark Sanchez wasn't the only rookie who grew up in a big way Saturday.
Running back Shonn Greene introduced himself to a national audience and the Bengals by rushing for 135 yards and a touchdown to help carry the Jets to a 24-14 AFC wild-card victory over the Bengals.
With Thomas Jones gaining just 34 yards on 15 carries, Greene gashed the Bengals with his physical running. He didn't hesitate to hit holes and he punished Bengal defenders while doing his best to keep up with Cincinnati's Cedric Benson, who rushed for 169 yards.
"I told him going into the game, I thought he could get 150 yards," Rex Ryan said. "We felt good about him. It was great to see him protect that ball and he was running hard. When you look at him and Thomas, what a one-two punch we have there."
Greene, a third-round pick out of Iowa, was the Jets' most effective runner almost from the start. His first carry was for 12 yards in the first quarter. His 39-yard touchdown run tied the game at 7-7 when he took a pitch from Sanchez on the left side with 11:52 to go in the second quarter, broke one tackle and was off to the races. Sanchez faked a handoff before pitching to Greene, who got a key block from tight end Dustin Keller.
One of the Bengals safeties was talking trash during the warm-ups to Greene, who had rushed for 62 yards on 13 carries last Sunday against the Bengals in the Jets' 37-0 rout.
That motivated Greene.
"He saw a couple of safeties talking loud and (the safety) was talking loud last week," linebacker Bart Scott said. "You saw (Greene) start wearing guys down, they (Bengals safeties) weren't coming up too enthusiastically, hoping he tripped or somebody else made the tackle first."
Greene had 64 yards by halftime on nine carries and opened the second half at running back while Jones watched. Greene helped set up Jones' 9-yard touchdown run with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter by rushing for 24 yards on the drive.
"He's a little Marshawn Lynch to me," Scott added. "He is tough to tackle and he's a load and squares his shoulder and he is going to deliver the blow. Great vision, slasher, makes that one cut, he squares you up."
In the fourth quarter, Greene helped set up Jay Feely's game-sealing 20-yard field goal with a 14-yard rush on a second-and-12 from the Bengals' 25.
Now Greene, like Sanchez, is going to play another playoff game in his rookie season.
"We finished off the season as the number one rushing team in the league," said Greene, whose career high is 144 yards set against the Raiders on Oct. 25. "And we kind of had that attitude going into this game that we wanted to prove to everyone that we still are."
Read more: New York Jets running back Shonn Greene is 1-man Gang in wild-card win
CINCINNATI - Mark Sanchez wasn't the only rookie who grew up in a big way Saturday.
Running back Shonn Greene introduced himself to a national audience and the Bengals by rushing for 135 yards and a touchdown to help carry the Jets to a 24-14 AFC wild-card victory over the Bengals.
With Thomas Jones gaining just 34 yards on 15 carries, Greene gashed the Bengals with his physical running. He didn't hesitate to hit holes and he punished Bengal defenders while doing his best to keep up with Cincinnati's Cedric Benson, who rushed for 169 yards.
"I told him going into the game, I thought he could get 150 yards," Rex Ryan said. "We felt good about him. It was great to see him protect that ball and he was running hard. When you look at him and Thomas, what a one-two punch we have there."
Greene, a third-round pick out of Iowa, was the Jets' most effective runner almost from the start. His first carry was for 12 yards in the first quarter. His 39-yard touchdown run tied the game at 7-7 when he took a pitch from Sanchez on the left side with 11:52 to go in the second quarter, broke one tackle and was off to the races. Sanchez faked a handoff before pitching to Greene, who got a key block from tight end Dustin Keller.
One of the Bengals safeties was talking trash during the warm-ups to Greene, who had rushed for 62 yards on 13 carries last Sunday against the Bengals in the Jets' 37-0 rout.
That motivated Greene.
"He saw a couple of safeties talking loud and (the safety) was talking loud last week," linebacker Bart Scott said. "You saw (Greene) start wearing guys down, they (Bengals safeties) weren't coming up too enthusiastically, hoping he tripped or somebody else made the tackle first."
Greene had 64 yards by halftime on nine carries and opened the second half at running back while Jones watched. Greene helped set up Jones' 9-yard touchdown run with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter by rushing for 24 yards on the drive.
"He's a little Marshawn Lynch to me," Scott added. "He is tough to tackle and he's a load and squares his shoulder and he is going to deliver the blow. Great vision, slasher, makes that one cut, he squares you up."
In the fourth quarter, Greene helped set up Jay Feely's game-sealing 20-yard field goal with a 14-yard rush on a second-and-12 from the Bengals' 25.
Now Greene, like Sanchez, is going to play another playoff game in his rookie season.
"We finished off the season as the number one rushing team in the league," said Greene, whose career high is 144 yards set against the Raiders on Oct. 25. "And we kind of had that attitude going into this game that we wanted to prove to everyone that we still are."
Read more: New York Jets running back Shonn Greene is 1-man Gang in wild-card win
